Elmwood Plantation, near New Orleans (Harahan), began in the French colonial era (mid-1700s) as land granted to Nicholas Chauvin de la Freniere, becoming an important estate that later housed Louisiana's first governor, W.C.C. Claiborne.

After a major fire in 1940, the damaged two-story mansion was rebuilt as a popular single-story Creole-Italian restaurant from the 1960s to 1978, famous for dishes like Oysters Mosca, before another fire ended its restaurant life, leaving behind memories of its grand oaks and distinctive dining.